FDA Upgrades Pecorino Romano Recall to Class I for Listeria

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has upgraded a recall of grated Pecorino Romano cheese products from five brands to its highest risk category, Class I, due to confirmed contamination with Listeria monocytogenes bacteria. The action, announced on January 6, expands on an initial recall issued in November 2025 by the New Jersey-based Ambriola Company, which imports Italian specialty foods. The products, distributed to retailers in 20 states between November 3 and November 20, 2025, pose a reasonable probability of causing serious adverse health consequences or death, particularly for vulnerable populations.

The recall now covers more than 11,500 units of grated cheese sold under the brands Locatelli, Pinna, Boar's Head, Member's Mark (Sam's Club's private label) and Ambriola. These include various package sizes, such as 4-ounce and 8-ounce cups of Locatelli Grated Pecorino Romano, 6-ounce cups and 5-pound bags of Boar's Head Grated Pecorino Romano, 1.5-pound bags of Member's Mark Pecorino Romano, 10-pound bags of Pinna Grated Pecorino Romano, and 5-pound and 10-pound bags of Ambriola Piccante Grated Pecorino Romano. Specific lot numbers affected, which vary by brand and...